Screen time, changing habits, or just “kids these days” are often seen as the main reasons children spend less time playing outside. But is that really the case?
In this thought-provoking TEDx Talk, Jasper Schipperijn, Co-Founder of the Active Children Coalition and Professor at the University of Southern Denmark, challenges these assumptions and shows that the real barriers are often much closer to home: the way we design children’s environments and the rules we create around them.
Drawing on more than 20 years of research, Schipperijn argues that children have not lost their desire to play outside – we have simply made it harder for them to do so. And while outdoor play is fun, it is also essential for children’s healthy development, supporting their physical, emotional, and social well-being.
The issue is not cultural, but structural: whether through policies, design choices, or everyday rules that shape children’s environments, seemingly small decisions can have a profound impact on how children move, explore, and connect with others. The key insight is simple: change the environment, and the rest follows.
So, what can we do? We can begin by reducing limits that prevent children from exploring and managing risk themselves, protecting the places children value and use, and paying attention to the details that make spaces truly inviting in practice.
Children are the experts in their own play. It is time to give them places they want and need, not just the spaces adults assume they should have. When we listen to them, consider their perspectives, and involve them in designing spaces that offer variety, challenge, and freedom, we create environments where outdoor play can thrive.
This message strongly aligns with the underlying principles of the Active Children Coalition. If we want every child to live an active, healthy, and fulfilling life, we must create communities that enable – and not restrict – active outdoor play. By designing with children rather than just for them, we can build environments where every child has the opportunity to move, play, and thrive.
Watch the full TEDx Talk here.
Chapters
Screen time, changing habits, or just “kids these days” are often seen as the main reasons children spend less time playing outside. But is that really the case?
In this thought-provoking TEDx Talk, Jasper Schipperijn, Co-Founder of the Active Children Coalition and Professor at the University of Southern Denmark, challenges these assumptions and shows that the real barriers are often much closer to home: the way we design children’s environments and the rules we create around them.
Drawing on more than 20 years of research, Schipperijn argues that children have not lost their desire to play outside – we have simply made it harder for them to do so. And while outdoor play is fun, it is also essential for children’s healthy development, supporting their physical, emotional, and social well-being.
The issue is not cultural, but structural: whether through policies, design choices, or everyday rules that shape children’s environments, seemingly small decisions can have a profound impact on how children move, explore, and connect with others. The key insight is simple: change the environment, and the rest follows.
So, what can we do? We can begin by reducing limits that prevent children from exploring and managing risk themselves, protecting the places children value and use, and paying attention to the details that make spaces truly inviting in practice.
Children are the experts in their own play. It is time to give them places they want and need, not just the spaces adults assume they should have. When we listen to them, consider their perspectives, and involve them in designing spaces that offer variety, challenge, and freedom, we create environments where outdoor play can thrive.
This message strongly aligns with the underlying principles of the Active Children Coalition. If we want every child to live an active, healthy, and fulfilling life, we must create communities that enable – and not restrict – active outdoor play. By designing with children rather than just for them, we can build environments where every child has the opportunity to move, play, and thrive.
Watch the full TEDx Talk here.